If you have been around her for longer than five minutes then you know for the most part I am super cheap and the thought of going to the salon and paying $45+ for a manicure is the same as stabbing myself in the eyes repeatedly, not fun. I’m just not gonna do it, ever. One of the most popular posts we have is our DIY Gel (like) Nails post and that’s because everyone, much like myself, wants an affordable alternative to salon prices. I’ve got a pretty awesome affordable alternative for you today. Did you know that you could do an actual gel manicure at home? So many brands have come out with little systems recently and they’re really hitting the market by storm. It’s so much more affordable to grab a curing lamp that you for once (I got mine on Amazon here for $30) and stock up on polish and do it in the comfort of your home. DIY Hard Nailspronounced “Die-Hard Nails” is my new favorite gel polish line. For one, the owner is pretty awesome and was amazing to deal with, she answered all of my questions and really sent me a selection that was perfect for all different occasions.

Y’all know that I change my polish pretty often but every once in awhile especially for out-of-town business or vacation, I want a gel manicure so I don’t have to worry about my polish chipping. I was super excited to try out the DIY Hard Nails polish. Like I said, I had my own lamp but received a base coat, top coat, and a few polish options. I think it’s important to say up front, since I’m not going to walk you through how to do a gel manicure, that with every purchase from DIY Hard Nails you get a a FREE Bonus eBook: “Nail Salon Secrets to the Perfect At-Home Gel Manicure”, so if you’re a newbie to gel manicure ALL of your questions will be answered. If you’ve done this before, it’s an awesome refresher! I almost forgot to cure in between coats. I wanted to share some of the polish swatches with y’all!

PINK FROST – This is a gorgeous polish and super fun because when it’s “cold” it’s a bright pink sheer-ish glitter but while warm, it’s a frosty white. It was hard to keep it in the “cold” state since it’s still so warm here. I may or may not have had to dip my fingers in some ice water 😉

I had a little too much fun watching it transition into the frosty white shade. I haven’t ever really been a fan of color changing polish but I have to say this one kind of turned it around for me. I was a little obsessed for the week or so that I wore it. It’s pretty cool.

Are these blues not the prettiest things you have ever seen? Classic Galaxyis another color-changing polish and it goes from a super deep purple into a gorgeous blue in it’s warm state. Blue Cocktailis a gorgeous gel glitter that you could totally get away with wearing on it’s own or as a topper. Blue Sky, what can I say? It’s absolutely the perfect sky blue polish. In love.

Coca Cola Float is freaking amazing. It literally is the color of cola with gorgeous bits of silver sparkle to give you the perfect amount of pizazz. This color is probably going to be my go-to for Fall. It’s on my toes right now and I am loving it.

Overall, DIY Hard Nails gel polish really hit it out of the park for me! I am loving it and have my eyes on a few more colors. They lasted 13 days for me with 0 chipping. They were super easy to apply and removal was a breeze. All of their gels are salon quality, 5-free (no harmful chemicals). Can be used with other gel brands like Gelish, OPI, CND, etc or any high quality nail lamps. Try 30 Days Risk Free, 100% Money Back Guaranteed. Order Any 3, they Ship Free! Awesome, right? I loved these so much that I was more than willing to partner with DIY Hard Nails for a giveaway for you all. There will be two winners! Enter below & good luck!

I have been drooling over this line. I want to swatch them ALL! And the name names much more sense now that you mentioned it’s pronounced DYE not DIY LOL. Maybe I’m just a blonde but I didn’t realize that!

The Cola color is amazing. love it! I’ve started doing gel nails at home every week or two. I haven’t played with color, yet, though – I just do a layer of topcoat on my bare nail and that seems to be protecting my natural nails from all the color changes I do during the week (since I change my polish anywhere from 5-10 times a week, more if I’m participating in nail art challenges!) I love the shine from a gel polish!